Heartwings says, “Here’s something to think about for those resolutions.”

When I was thinking about the new year coming, and New Year resolutions, I came to a realization: Much of what I might think to choose concerning the making of resolutions is actually something I think about doing all the time, anyway. In other words, at this point my would-be resolutions are part of an ongoing daily practice. Perhaps this might be true for others as well.

What I now experience probably began at the time when I first encountered Yoga. That was back when I was in my late twenties with five children. I was very stressed and having trouble sleeping. Knowing how stressed I was, a good friend gave me a book on Yoga. I remember the author, Richard Hittleman.

The book is long gone from my library; however, it was a relatively simple text that focused primarily on the exercises, with good illustrations. I found it to be helpful, and events unfolded from there, ending up with my becoming a yoga teacher for a number of years. I attended many classes and took teacher training as well as studied Yoga philosophy. I learned and grew from this, and eventually I developed my daily practice.

Practice is something one might think of as what a musician or an athlete does, or something to be repeated until one knows it by heart. A practice can also be something one incorporates into one’s everyday life or lifestyle. In my case the kind of meditation I learned from yoga, even after my career as a teacher ended, became something I began to do daily. From it I acquired the skills of mindfulness and as well as ways to reduce stress and discomfort. Together with my husband Stephen, I began teaching that. as well.

Ultimately, all this evolved into an ability to stay in the present moment, at least most of the time, as well as to find out when I wasn’t there. And this is what I mean by a practice. Which is why I don’t necessarily go for the idea of New Year’s resolutions. I am already working on what I might consider using.

There seems no reason to make a list and try to follow what I am already practicing on a daily basis. I wonder if when readers look at their potential resolutions, they might discover the same for themselves. How we choose what to resolve is going to most likely be things we need to be doing or want to be doing anyway. If we thing we need to make a special effort, we might make that the resolution. For instance we might say, “I resolve to keep on keeping on.” I believe that way we might have more success.

It is often said that the resolutions of most do not last past their first month. If instead of separating our resolutions from everyday life we see them as part of our ongoing experience, they might even last out the year.

May your New Year celebration be happy and your happiness endure.

Blessings and Best Regards, Tasha Halpert